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WASHINGTON —This week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was ordered by Congress to re-open many of its libraries that had been closed over the course of the past year, as written into the fiscal year 2008 omnibus appropriations bill sent to President Bush this week.

EPA must “restore the network of EPA libraries recently closed or consolidated by the Administration…” and report on its plans to “restore publicly available libraries to provide environmental information and data to each EPA region…”

EPA administrators have repeatedly alleged that these closings do not affect access to the important environmental and scientific collections and data sets since online functions meet the needs of the EPA staff, researchers, and the public. However, many scientists, EPA staff and librarians continue to dispute this contention.

“The EPA libraries are a vital resource for the health of our country,” said Emily Sheketoff, Executive Director of the ALA Washington Office, “and we appreciate the work of Congress, and in particular the Senate, to correct this massive failure on the part of the Executive Branch.”

“ALA thanks the thousands of librarians and scientists all over who worked so hard to make sure their voices were heard in Congress.”

The appropriations bill is set to hit the President’s desk this week and he is expected to sign it.

OPEN GOVERNMENT ACT HEADS TO PRESIDENT
Thursday, December 20th, 2007

After months of negotiations, the OPEN Government Act of 2007 (S. 2488) is now on its way to the President after just passing both chambers. S. 2488 is a revision of the original bill, S.849, introduced by Sen. Leahy (D-VT) and Sen. Cornyn (R-TX). The House companion bill, H.R. 1309, introduced by Rep. Clay (D-MO), passed in March by a margin of 308-117.

This bill includes reforms to reduce backlogs and delays in responding to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, provides incentives for agency compliance, and, in general, strengthens FOIA.

For more information on the OPEN Government Act, please see Sen. Leahy’s recent press release.

WASHINGTON — The American Library Association’s (ALA’s) Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) is launching a major project to increase the benefit that the nation’s public libraries obtain from the federal E-rate program. This effort will include data collection and developing and implementing strategies to make it easier for libraries to participate in the program.

The E-rate is the biggest single source of funding for libraries’ telecommunications and information services. And while many libraries rely on E-rate to make connectivity affordable, many others have difficulty taking full advantage of this essential program.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant will support ALA’s work to develop and provide training and consulting services for libraries so that more libraries can successfully navigate the cumbersome E-rate application process. ALA will also work to improve the E-rate program in the long-term, for example, by advocating for simplification of E-rate’s application and disbursement processes.

According to the recent findings of ALA’s Libraries Connect Communities report (2006-2007), virtually all of America’s public libraries now offer public access to the Internet. However, many of those libraries have difficulty funding the ongoing connectivity costs needed to sustain broadband connections to the Internet that are robust enough to support library users’ access to key online services like education, E-Government services, small business support, and more.

“The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has a strong history of funding free, public computer and Internet access in public libraries,” Inouye said. “Their generous support of this project will help to increase the ability of public libraries across the country - especially those with severely constrained budgets - to benefit from the E-rate program and therefore provide their communities with access to essential online services and information such as career development programs, E-government resources, distance learning, and much more.”

“Because of the complexity of the E-rate program, many individual libraries don’t even apply for funding or are denied funding for simple errors,” said Linda Lord, Deputy State Librarian of Maine and Chair of ALA’s E-rate Task Force. “This project by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and ALA will be tremendously helpful to public libraries in obtaining the funding that they desperately need for telecommunications services.”

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people — especially those with the fewest resources — have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, the foundation is led by CEO Patty Stonesifer and co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. More information is available at www.gatesfoundation.org.

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